One of the first things that comes to mind when musing about the highlights of life in a Middle-eastern country is the hustle and bustle of a Bazaar – or a Souq as it is more commonly known in this part of the world. It’s a magical place where vendors bring every different type of ware imaginable and put them all on display in order to show off and hopefully sell their product. One might liken it to a street market, or a fair – but this is sells the idea and grandiosity of a bazaar far short.
In this case, Khan el-Khalili is not only a souq, but the souq in Cairo. Needless to say, I was excited about the idea of taking a guided trip through it with the assistance of some locals to help point one in the right direction for certain quality wares, and haggle down the tourist-oriented prices. The morning of the trip was a cool and pleasant prelude to what would assuredly become a hot day. Given how overwhelming the heat can feel during the afternoon, the cooler hours in the morning before the crowds are an alluring prospect. With this in mind, we started the day early with purses full of coin (or cash in this case). The trip to the Khan did not take long, and the morning traffic was light. It was impossible to tell where the marketplace began – we saw signs of it long before getting dropped off, with various displays of wares and workshops hawking their craft stretching on long before our arrival at the drop-off point.
Upon disembarking we strode purposefully into the gates of the bazaar, heading for a silver, and glasswork shop that our guide fancied. The antiquity of the market was striking to me. Here amongst buildings that seemed timeless, stretch narrow alleyways with glittering treasures, patterns, lights, alabaster and countless other goods drawing ones’ attention onward. Archways and tapestries draped about above while worn stone and cobble provided character to the walkway beneath our feet. Some of the side passages opened on to major thoroughfares where streams of people could be seen passing by, while others were seemingly deserted, but lead to hidden shops and merchants all the same.
I didn’t see anything that caught my eye at the first destination, so I browsed the windows, nooks and crannies nearby as I continued my exploration. Polished stone spheres on pedestals caught my attention, being strangely Palantir-like in appearance. I was tickled by temptation, but I knew there’d be other temptations throughout the day, and I’d want to mark things of interest and come back to them later. Hopefully dropping pins in google maps would do the trick in this labyrinth of passages and alleyways. We strolled about as a group taking in all the sights and sounds, being called to by the vendors, one even shouting in perfect English “We just want your money!”, a strangely honest and out of place exclamation which drew laughter from our group.
Climbing a flight of stairs to an upper level building we perused shops of various metalwork and woodworks. Delicate and elaborate work in both cases, shops were bursting to the seams with furniture and other woodworks with inlaid tile and mosaic, along with other curious and oddities – spent artillery and cannon shells etched with intricate designs, brass trinkets of every shape and size; and while many were in poor condition, they each had a unique and varied character. The epitome of one man’s junk being another’s treasure (I couldn’t suppress the giggle as I wrote that). We continued with further adventures past and through shops of bone, ivory (boo, hiss), jewelry, silver, souvenirs, and other trinkets. Even a shop with clearly marked prices, and even a small pharaoh figurine with a giant dong was reasonably priced. I regret not getting this now, but I did find a few other pieces in that particular shop that I ended up purchasing.
In time, we escaped the midday heat by ducking into one of the more well-known establishments in the Khan, Naguib Mahfouz Cafe, where we were seated at a long table and had our orders taken by mustached waiters in fez hats. This is where I ordered my first lemon mint, which is a wonderfully simple and delightfully delicious concoction of lemonade and finely shredded mint leaves. You can never go wrong with a cold lemonade on a hot day, but the addition of that one simple ingredient allows the beverage to transcend entirely. The flavor differential is not so striking, but the sense of refreshment that one gets from a simple sip is something to behold. I immediately knew this would be a favorite of mine, and I’ve enjoyed many of them since this discovery. There is simply nothing better to combat the heat of the desert than this delectable beverage. The food was tasty, and quite different than the usual fare, with offerings of pigeon, rabbit and other small game, on top of some other standard plates. The food deserved more attention than I gave it; but quite frankly, I was too distracted with my drink to notice.
Upon the completion of our pit stop, we set out once again upon the bustling streets of the souq. Being guided through the maze-like series of alleyways and vendors had some distinct advantages, but also meant that it was difficult to get too far off the beaten path and truly explore. There were many tempting side passages that would have warranted further exploration if it were not for the sake of keeping our group together. Thus, there’s a downside to CLO-trips such as this one, as they offer a decidedly on-rails experience, which I’ve come to recognize as a smaller part of the larger State Department picture when living abroad, but that’s a post for another time
We finally made our way to an assortment of lamp, lantern, and lampshade shops. These tend to be my favorite, as I find it an absolute delight to behold a vista of varied and distinct lights, with different shapes, sizes, colors, and hues coming together to form a natural tapestry. It’s something akin to looking at a cityscape at night from a particularly nice vantage point, but with far more organization and order to the chaos. This is again one of those areas where I’ll be tickled by temptation, but with the vast selection it is difficult to narrow down on any particular object of desire. Ultimately it’s the combined effect that they all come together to create that is the most alluring.
Proceeding onward, we made our way towards shops which offered rugs, tapestries and other art. Some of these works clearly intended to provide a muted or subdued ambiance to a room, not being overly garish or loud as to steal the attention, but to provide more of an accent. Others were destined to be centerpieces, stealing the attention away from everything around them – and one of these in particular caught my eye. A selection of original oil paintings on papyrus with depictions of ancient Egypt, ranging from the simplicity of a vista of the pyramids, to the more complex with the backdrop of the pyramids supplemented by palms, camels, the Nile, and falluccas at sunset. I had an immediate appreciation for it and enjoyed the sense of antiquity it seemed to capture. The way that the painting seemed to reflect the light level of the room in it’s own setting of sunset and twilight fueled the desire to live the moment that was captured in the scene. After some deliberation I decided that it was something that myself (and others) were likely to enjoy – so I selected my favorite, worked with the guide to haggle down the price, and walked out with something special. I’ll update this with a picture of it once it’s framed and mounted.
As the day marched on, the sights and sounds all started blending together in my head. It was hard to remember exactly where I had seen what, and the myriad of twists and turns we’d taken through the marketplace was enough to upset my usually keen sense of direction, despite the pins that I’d dropped. It was truly a multifaceted experience that held something for everyone – no matter if one was there to simply take it all in, or fill their home with all sorts of Khan collectibles. While the merchandise and the hawking of wares may be the purpose for it’s existence, the Khan itself is far more with a wealth of cultural character and personal interactions that would make for a stand out-experience on it’s own. From the ridiculousness of watching huge tour buses attempt to navigate down impossibly crowded streets, the impossible balancing acts of cyclists carting around giant boards of pita bread atop their noggins, to the unexpected but adorable display of a pair of well-groomed Khan cats cuddling affectionately, seemingly oblivious to the bustling bazaar around them. Undoubtedly the Khan is one of the stand-out features of Cario, and well worth a visit from anyone that gets the opportunity.
